莪 (é): zedoary (Curcuma zedoaria)

Meanings

莪术是类似姜黄的根茎药材。

É jiānghuáng yàocái.

Zedoary is a rhizome herb similar to turmeric, used in medicine.

茂盛的莪蒿长在水边。

É

The lush artemisia grows by the riverbank.

usage

莪 names two plants: in 莪术 it is zedoary, a turmeric-like medicinal rhizome; in 莪蒿 it is a riverside artemisia whose tender shoots are edible.

radical

艹 cǎo

grass; plant

艹 is the grass radical 草 in top form, marking the character as a plant name, here a medicinal rhizome and a riverside herb.

phonetic

我 wǒ

I; me

我 supplies the sound, drifted from wǒ to é. It is purely the phonetic element, the same role it plays in 鹅 and 饿.

莪 é